In what was one of the most exciting matches of the 2021 Australian Open, Nick Kyrgios and Ugo Humbert will face each other again on English turf at the 2021 Wimbledon tournament.
The draw for the tennis competition was released on Friday evening, where it was revealed the Greek Australian will face the Frenchman.
For those who may not remember, Kyrgios prevailed against Humbert faced in the second round of Australian Open, winning a five set thriller.
The Greek Australian had a comical response when he found out who his opponent was going to be.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was drawn with American Frances Tiafoe. The two last faced each other in 2018 during the Next Gen ATP Finals group stage, where Tsitsipas got a convincing three-set victory.
Tsitsipas became the first Greek player to reach a Grand Slam final in June, yet facing World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final, he was outplayed by the best.
“I believe I’m able to play for titles like this. Despite my loss today, I have faith in my game and I very much believe I can get to that point very soon,” Tsitsipas said at the time of his loss.
Photo: Getty Images
“If I don’t downgrade myself, I see no reason for me not to be holding a trophy one day.”
Maria Sakkari similarly enjoyed incredible success at the Roland Garros, reaching the semi-final before narrowly losing to Barbora Krejčíková. The Greek will face Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus in what is expected to be a strong run for Greeks in the tournament.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia has announced tonight that public worship will be suspended in Greek Orthodox churches located in Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City of Sydney Councils due to the recent coronavirus outbreak.
The eight churches affected are:
Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, Redfern.
Dormition of our Lady, Redern.
Holy Trinity, Surry Hills.
Saint Sophia and Her Three Daughters, Taylor Square.
Saints Constantine and Helen, Newtown.
Saint Sophia (The Holy Wisdom), Paddington.
Saint Spyridon, Kingsford.
Saint George, Rose Bay.
The Archdiocese went on to confirm that while churches will be closed for public worship, “all services, the commemoration of saints’ feast days and the Divine Liturgies will be performed normally but only by the priest and the chanter.”
“Sacraments and funerals, if possible, should be conducted in other parishes,” the statement continues.
When Gina Altas’ son George was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease around 10 years ago, it was only the beginning.
With barely any research, organisations, funding, or any family history of this incredibly rare bowel disorder, Altas didn’t have very far to look for help and admits not much has changed.
“We just had no idea why this was happening,” Atlas says.
“George is an isolated case; we have no history of it in the family at all,” which she says is unusual for a condition like Hirschsprung’s.
“He actually had a whole term off school with the amount of medication [he] was on,” she says.
“There isn’t any support, I’ll be honest with you,” she says.
She says she “had to leave work for all the surgeries” and trials that George has taken part in since birth.
“I know some families have received [support through the] National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) but it’s only because they have another disease as well. A lot of children with Hirschsprung’s disease have Down syndrome and other diseases that are worse,” she explains.
Hirschsprung disease is a birth defect which arises when nerve cells in the muscles of the colon are absent.
For George, now 10, that means that he has to have his colon manually cleared daily.
George is the only one of Gina and husband Anthony’s three kids who was born with the condition.
Altas has committed her non-for-profit initiative Help for Hirschsprung’s Disease (HELP4HD) to helping support her son and end the cycle which sees families finding themselves in the same lost and unsupported position she found herself in all those years ago.
“A lot of our families… get directed to us either through the Bowel Clinic at the Children’s Hospital or through the doctors,” she says.
With no existing organisations to support Gina and her son, HELP4HD was born nearly five years ago in 2016 out of a single Instagram post and “it all just sort of grew from there”, Gina tells me.
“I just put out one post saying, ‘I’m trying to make some toiletry kits [to help kids with inconstinence that] I can donate to the hospital and other families’,” she recalls.
Gina now visits other children living with bowel disorders and gifts them HELP4HD’s signature Buddee bear.
“Just recently, we visited a little boy Hunter… because he’s going through a really difficult time…,” Altas says.
Gina gave Hunter a big HELP4HD welcome in June (Source: Instagram @help_for_hirschsprung_disease)
HELP4HD has partnered with the University of Melbourne to for a project to research the early stages of stem cell therapy and has amassed a cavalcade of high-profile Australian ambassadors jumping on board.
John Mangos and Braith Anasta are two of HELP4HD’s ambassadors (Source: help4hd.org.au)
Veteran reporter John Mangos and former footy star Braith Anasta are just two prominent Greek Australians who knew they had to get behind Altas’ initiative.
Greek-owned family business, Christopher’s Cake Shop, has been serving a variety of handcrafted cakes, pastries and Greek inspired desserts across 10 locations in Sydney since 1955. But despite this success, they haven’t been immune to the critical labour shortage impacting Australia’s hospitality industry due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The industry has historically relied heavily on an overseas workforce from highly skilled chefs and experienced restaurant managers, through to casual waiting staff and international students, many of whom returned home when the pandemic struck last year.
This has now left more than 46,000 hospitality jobs currently advertised online and businesses, such as Christopher’s Cake Shop, struggling to fill these vacancies.
“Recruiting is difficult as there’s a lot more people looking for staff and employees can pick and choose more and come to you with what they want. So as a business, you need to decide whether to stick to your guns or compromise,” CEO of Christopher’s Cake Shop, Kyriakos Panayi, tells The Greek Herald.
JobKeeper and International Students:
Of course, for Mr Panayi, it was all about sticking to his guns and that’s why he decided to keep trading all of his 10 stores throughout the pandemic, despite the labour shortage and reduced profit turnover. He says he was able to continue employing his over 60 employees, who are mostly Australian citizens, with the help of the Federal Government’s JobKeeper supplement.
Christopher’s Cake Shop has been serving customers across 10 locations in Sydney since 1955.
“In my opinion, JobKeeper was outstanding. Pre-JobKeeper, we were looking at closing six out of the ten shops so the supplement was a massive injection,” Mr Panayi explains.
“In the end, it was just best to keep the shop open, pay the bills and maintain our workforce… because if we closed then reopened, we didn’t know if the staff would return.”
To ease some of this uncertainty for businesses in the hospitality industry, the Federal Government temporarily removed the 40-hour fortnightly cap on working hours for international students already in Australia.
Whilst experts such as Associate Professor Chris F. Wright from the University of Sydney Business School say scrapping the cap will only expose already vulnerable workers to bad faith employers and lead to increased wage theft, Mr Panayi disagrees.
The Greek Australian business owner says removing the cap is the answer to increased growth and “keeping people on the ground” at a time when the hospitality industry clearly has limited options in terms of skilled labour.
CEO of Christopher’s Cake Shop, Kyriakos Panayi. Photo supplied.
“The only solution I see is that if they can’t bring foreign workers in, they have to let those who are already here to work longer hours. The students are prepared to do that,” Mr Panayi says.
The burden of paying rent:
When Mr Panayi isn’t fighting for more workers, he’s also struggling under another burden of the COVID-19 pandemic – that is, paying the rent.
“Most of our landlords provided some rent relief but we all have bills to pay and more could’ve been done. Rent was the biggest burden,” Mr Panayi says.
When restrictions first hit in early 2020, the NSW Government issued a “Mandatory Code of Conduct” (MCOC) which introduced several policies, including a moratorium on evictions for all commercial tenants in financial distress as a result of COVID-19. The lessor and lessee were also encouraged to hold “good faith” negotiations to agree on conditions such as a waiver of rental and deferred rental payments (paid back over a 24-month period).
Senior Sales Executive at LJ Hooker Commercial, Michael Loupis, says the impact of these policies on the commercial retail sector was “immediate.”
Senior Sales Executive at LJ Hooker Commercial, Michael Loupis. Photo supplied.
“[There was] a drastic drop in transactions being completed in 2020 due to the reduced confidence in the market, especially in the retail sector. There was an increasing amount of small-to-medium cafes and restaurants closing, downsizing or relocating their business due to the COVID-19 stress on the business,” Mr Loupis tells The Greek Herald.
The Sales Executive goes on to add that although there is an argument the government should’ve done more to help retailers, “the situation was delicate from the outset” and commercial property owners who had to pay a mortgage also needed to be considered.
“… if the government had their time again, I’m sure there could have been a different approach undertaken,” Mr Loupis said.
“With that being said, we were lucky in NSW that we were closed for a relatively short period of time compared to other states and also other countries around the world.”
A sentiment which Mr Panayi agrees with as he continues to push through the COVID-19 pandemic, trading and serving the loyal customers of Christopher’s Cake Shop.
A film which shares the story of 100 years since the establishment of Panathinaikos BC will be available to all Greeks worldwide on June 27 via online streaming.
The screening times for ‘Journey to the Stars’ are: June 27 at 18:00 and 22:00, June 28 at 04:00 and 12:00, and June 29 at 21:00. All times are in EEST – Athens time.
The film will focus on the Giannakopoulos family, a family who adored “Panathinaikos” deeply and decided to take over the reins of the club’s men’s basketball team.
This wonderful journey, filled with so many indescribable moments, ranging from impressive victories to unexpected defeats, and unmeasurable joys to undeniable sorrows, but most importantly, six European championships, is captured throughout this film.
“Writing the script, I wanted to reach those who might have thought that we were simply talking about basketball, when in fact, we are actually taking a look at something more. We are talking about family, fathers, daughters, sons, loneliness. All that is more or less sports,” Christos Dimas, the film’s Director and Screenwriter, said at a press conference.
“Because it does narrate the 100 years since the team’s establishment, we had to go through the story, but also find a way to include the emotional imprint in order to have the audience understand what makes the team great. We also wanted to show what characterizes Panathinaikos, and the family as well.”
President of Panathinaikos BC OPAP, Panagiotis Triantopoulos, agreed and said he’s impressed with the way the film perfectly captures the Giannakopoulos family.
“I have lived close to this family for so many years. I thought it would be difficult for a film to capture, within two hours, what I feel, close to these people. But I want to say well done to everyone. It’s an amazing job. We felt what we wanted,” Mr Triantopoulos told the media.
“The film shows how the foundations and values of the group came into being, and generally, how the family started. It is not based so much on the competitive part, as on that of morality and love.”
Greek Australian footballer Jonathan Aspropotamitis has re-signed with Perth Glory after a successful spell with the Western Australian side on the back end of the 2020/21 season.
Initially signed for the club’s AFC Champions League campaign, his impressive performances earned him a contract for the duration of the 2020/21 A-League season.
Speaking to The Greek Herald, Aspropotamitis said he’s enjoyed his time in Perth and is looking forward to the season ahead.
“(I) came along steadily at the start of the season, the team was doing really well, we had a bit of a rough patch in the middle of the season and I think individually and collectively we can all learn a lot from that middle part of the year,” Aspropotamitis said.
“We ended it (the 2020/21 season) really well so from an individual perspective and from a collective perspective, I think we can take a lot from that back end and hopefully take it into next season.”
The 25-year-old has proceeded to chalk up 18 appearances, taking his career tally past the 80-mark.
The Greek Australian played only 9 matches for Western United before moving across the country. While applauding the brilliant culture and identity of the Melbourne side, Aspropotamitis said he’s been enjoying the extra playing time at Glory.
Jonathan Aspropotamitis at Western United FC. Photo: Getty Images
“I think it always helps when you’re able to play games and start games, for anyone’s development,” Aspropotamitis added.
“I think a big thing in Australian football at the moment is players getting minutes and players getting starts at different teams and how that affects their development.
“I was at Western United the season before and unfortunately I didn’t get to play too much and so this has been a real breath of fresh air.”
Guidance under Garcia
Richard Garcia was appointed Perth Glory’s new Head Coach in September 2020, taking over from Tony Popovic who went to play in Greece for Super League II side Xanthi FC.
Despite many questioning his coaching abilities after suffering repeated season losses, Garcia managed to turn the team around in the back half of the season.
“I love working under the Richie, it’s been fantastic. He’s really come in as a person who coaches with a lot of energy and a lot of fresh ideas as well,” Aspropotamitis said to The Greek Herald.
“I think you could see it towards the back end of the year that we were really grasping those concepts and putting them into place and putting proof in the pudding in those results.”
Perth’s defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis (R) vies for the header with Shenhua’s midfielder Zhu Baojie during the AFC Champions League group F football match between Australia’s Perth Glory and China’s Shanghai Shenhua on November 18, 2020, at the Education Stadium in the Qatari city of Ar-Rayyan. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)
“From an individual perspective, he’s come in with some new ideas and new perspectives on different things and how I can better myself on and off the pitch.
“And just more about enjoying my football and being more free to play and having the confidence to do everything that you want to do, rather than being restricted in doing so.”
Aspropotamitis concluded by expressing Perth’s drive to finish in a top four position next season and earn a home final.
‘Proud’ Greek heritage
Aspropotamitis was raised in the diverse Sydney Greek community and it “goes without saying” that he has a proud Greek heritage.
“Both sides of my grandparents immigrated to Australia in their late teens,” Jonathan said to The Greek Herald previously.
“They made sacrifices to come to Australia and it’s something I guess none of us will ever understand, unless we do it ourselves.
“I really take a lot from that every day, in everything I do, because something that’s something we really take for granted; The things they did for us, without them knowing many years ago that it laid the foundations for us that we live right now.
“I don’t hide my expression in being proud to be Greek.”
A community garden within the Collingwood Children’s Farm in Melbourne was a lifeline for many Greek migrants in the decades leading to it’s sudden closure this month.
Anna Krouskos is one of more than 100 locals who have been shut out of their communal garden following safety concerns raised in an external consultant’s report over risks posed by snakes and star pickets.
Anna Krouskos is now left with just the memory of the work she put into the garden with her late husband Dimitri who died of COVID-19 last year.
“He was a Greek farmer, and he just grew everything beautifully and I just couldn’t step into those big work boots,” she tells the Sydney Morning Herald.
The garden will be bulldozed and rebuilt beside the Yarra River but Mrs Krouskos has continued to keep his work going as a link to the past and a way of growing the future.
Anna Poulentzas’ grandchild Jordan Oakley at the Collingwood Children’s Farm. (Credit: Anna Poulentzas)
The Collingwood Children’s Farm management has left Greek migrants like Anna Poulentzas in the blue by canceling appointments and narrowing their pool of consultants to help envision the rebuild.
Mrs. Poulentzas is Mrs. Krouskos sister-in-law and has helped see the garden grow for decades.
Her now 92-year-old father gardened there from the mid-1980s.
The gardens have a rich history within the Greek and other migrant communities (Credit: JUSTIN MCMANUS)
Chief executive of the farm, Conor Hickey, maintains that the farm will remain a “[non-for-profit and social enterprise]”, but says falling revenue and visitor traffic brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the farm to “explore a number of new ways to raise revenue.”
“Our funds will always go to directly supporting those in the community experiencing adversity,” he says.
Greek and Turkish migrants have used the garden as a staple since its inception in 1979, with European farming on the site dating back to the 19th century.
Collingwood Children’s Farm is the oldest continually farmed land in Victoria and has been used by migrants and those without a garden of their own for decades.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced new restrictions for four local government areas (LGAs) in Sydney and extended the existing COVID-19 restrictions in NSW by a week.
NSW Health has recorded 22 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 since the NSW government gave its most recent update yesterday.
11 of the 22 new cases were recorded today, with the Bondi cluster growing to 65 cases.
Stay-at-home orders will be in place for the Woollahra, Waverley, City of Sydney, and Randwick local government areas (LGAs) from tonight until 12:01am on Saturday, July 3.
Anybody who lives, or has worked in these four LGAs in the past two weeks, may only leave their home for essential reasons.
These reasons include:
Medical care or compassionate needs.
Exercise outdoors in groups of 10 or fewer.
Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.
If you need to buy essential goods or services.
Visitors to households will be limited to five guests – including children.
Ikaria in Bondi Beach has been added to NSW Health’s list of close contact exposure sites. NSW Health is urging all of those who attended to self-isolate for 14 days.
Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis jetted off to Brussels for the EU summit on Thursday with a reinforced stance on relations with Turkey and their immigration programme.
The Prime Minister promoted the “bi-zonal, bi-communal” federation with political equality as the only way to solve the ongoing Cyprus dispute.
“Any discussion of a solution regarding the creation of two separate states is rejected in principle because it contradicts all the decisions of the UN Security Council but also the European acquis,” he says.
The Prime Minister suggested that Turkey must show consistency in de-escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and agreed to finance Turkey’s refugee programme on certain conditions.
The financial support comes with the condition that Turkey avoids “any instrumentalization of refugees and immigrants” and “accepts the return to Turkey of people who are currently on the Greek islands and the asylum applications have been finally rejected,” he says.
He shifted his focus from the rapidly rising Delta outbreaks in neighbouring countries to say he anticipates the “immediate activation” of the EU digital COVID certificate (EUDCC) in the coming days.
“I want to repeat a very simple message conveyed yesterday by the leading American epidemiologist Mr. Fauci. ‘You’re vaccinated, you’re safe. You’re unvaccinated, you’re at risk. Simple as that’,” he says.
PM Mitsotakis also rallied among 17 other EU leaders in pressing for tolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ+ rights amidst Hungary’s ‘anti-LGBTQ’ bill.
A Greek Orthodox priest behind an acid attack which injured 11 people in Athens has been charged and admitted to the state psychiatric hospital.
The hieromon, aged 37, was charged with multiple counts of causing grievous bodily harm and is awaiting psychiatric evaluation after he assaulted seven senior bishops and three others, including two lawyers and a police officer.
“My first thought was that it was holy water,” one of the bishops said, before realising it was caustic liquid, Greek media reports.
He was led to court to face his charges but was in no position to testify before a prosecutor while he awaits his psychiatric evaluation from the Dromokaitio psychiatric hospital, authorities concluded.
Seven of the 11 victims remain hospitalised, including three bishops who are in ‘serious condition’.
One of the three bishops is reportedly undergoing plastic surgery for burns on his face and hands.
The priest acted in a fit of rage after his appeal against his expulsion in 2019 was turned down by a religious court at Petraki Monastery.
The priest was expelled for allegedly carrying cocaine under his garb.
The priest has a criminal history of violent behaviour, harassment, and possessing 1.8 grams of cocaine, Greek media reports.
The incident has put the Greek Orthodox Church on the defensive over how such an incident could occur in the Holy Synod and has prompted responses from the Greek government.
“In future there should be a policeman, someone who guards the entrance to the Holy Synod,” said the bishop of Glyfada, Antonios, who was among the injured.
“The attack with vitriol … is a disgusting act. I wish them a speedy recovery and a good return to their duties,” Niki Kerameus, Greece’s minister of education and religious affairs, tweeted in Greek.
